Susan Eubanks, the mother of Chester Bennington, has voiced her strong feelings regarding Linkin Park’s decision to move forward with Emily Armstrong as their new vocalist. In a recent feature by Rolling Stone on Thursday, September 19, she expressed her disappointment during phone interviews, stating that Linkin Park had previously promised to inform her if they were considering a new singer. However, they did not, which has left her feeling “very upset.”
Eubanks also mentioned her encounters with band members Mike Shinoda and Joe Hahn over the years, noting that neither informed her about any plans for a reunion. She articulated her feelings by saying:
“I feel betrayed. They told me that if they were ever going to do something, they would let me know. They didn’t let me know, and they probably knew that I wouldn’t be very happy. I’m very upset about it.”
Furthermore, she expressed concern that the band is attempting to “erase the past.”While she is unsure about the opinions of Linkin Park fans regarding Emily Armstrong joining the band, she finds it “hurtful”for the new singer to perform the songs originally sung by her son.
She revealed that she, along with Chester Bennington’s first wife Samantha and their son Draven, discovered the news of the reunion simultaneously with the public.
Susan Eubanks Found Out About Linkin Park’s New Singer Online
In her conversation with Rolling Stone, Susan Eubanks reflected that she had seen Joe Hahn multiple times since Chester Bennington’s passing in 2017. She mentioned that Hahn had communicated to her that there were no plans to revive the band.
Eubanks recalled an encounter with Mike Shinoda about two years ago, during which he assured her that he would keep the family informed about the band’s activities. Shinoda also had reached out to Samantha and Draven, who later informed her about Linkin Park releasing some songs featuring Bennington’s original vocals.
However, she only learned about Emily Armstrong’s addition to Linkin Park through Google. She remarked:
“I found out about Emily Armstrong joining the band on Google. When I go to Google to look for something, the first thing that often pops up is Linkin Park.”
Susan Eubanks initially thought Mike Shinoda would be the new singer when she saw the announcement regarding Armstrong’s inclusion.
“Chester did teach Mike how to sing,”she noted.
She further explained to Rolling Stone that she believed the band would just perform again, not that they would reunite with a new singer.
Eubanks added that she accidentally tuned into a live stream of one of Linkin Park’s performances and noted that Armstrong was “screeching her way through a very high note.””
Feeling compelled to leave the stream quickly, she recalled a conversation with her son about Mike Shinoda mentioning years ago that if he left, the lead singer role would be filled by a girl. Eubanks described how Chester was “dumbfounded and hurt”by that statement, which has now materialized with Armstrong’s addition. She concluded that she is “not okay”with this development.
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